Prince Harry’s ‘Spare Part’ Status on ‘With Love, Meghan’ Is Totally Normal
Prince Harry isn’t a fixture on With Love, Meghan like flower sprinkles or crudité platters. Instead, Meghan Markle is seen with her husband, the Duke of Sussex, only once on her new Netflix lifestyle series. And, even then, it’s a “blink and you’ll miss him” moment. So much so that a royal commentator sees Harry as a “spare part” in the Duchess of Sussex’s return to lifestyle content. But, according to an expert, Harry’s very limited time in front of the camera is standard for reality TV.
Harry labeled a ‘spare part’ on ‘With Love, Meghan’
Shane Watson, a columnist at the U.K.’s The Times, discussed Harry’s fleeting appearance on With Love, Meghan following the show’s premiere. Watson likened the 40-year-old to a “spare part.”
“Like it or hate it, there is no denying that Meghan’s whole life has been working towards [sic] this point: this pinnacle of pretty, polished, professionalism with notes of wellness and spiritualism,” Watson wrote. “She’s now unstoppable and adoring Harry is already looking like a spare part in her new incarnation as a lifestyle icon.”
For his part, Harry has a “blink and you’ll miss him” moment on camera in the final episode of With Love, Meghan Season 1. “Not only that, he’s wedged at the back of the crowd of well-wishers […] hanging back deliberately so as not to in any way imply that he has had anything to do with Meghan’s success.”
“He seems diminished, unsure of what’s expected of him,” Watson continued, later noting he’s seemingly “on the cusp of becoming a handbag carrier.”
Husbands being a ‘prop’ is nothing new for reality TV
Leaving Harry out of With Love, Meghan proved smart, according to Stacy Jones, the founder and CEO of Hollywood Branded. Speaking to Business Insider, Jones compared Meghan’s show to other reality shows about women married to famous men. Examples include The Osbournes, Real Housewives, and early seasons of Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
Typically, she told the outlet, the successful man is merely a “prop” while his wife is the star winning viewers’ hearts. That includes making brief on-camera appearances. Sound familiar? That’s because Meghan seemed to follow the same formula, whether intentionally or not, on With Love, Meghan.
“It’s important to have that prop because that’s the unique definer,” Jones said about Harry’s royal status. “Meghan with Harry is special,” she added. “But Meghan does not have to be with Harry at her side all the time.”
Another season of Meghan Markle’s Netflix show is on the way
Just three days after With Love, Meghan premiered on Netflix, the streamer announced in a Tudum press release that the show will return for a second season this fall. They also revealed filming on With Love, Meghan Season 2 has already wrapped.
Meghan shared the news in an Instagram video, seen above, on March 7, 2025. It featured ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) clips from the show. “Oh, how I love ASMR!” she wrote in the caption. “If you’re loving Season 1, just wait until you see the fun we cooked up in Season 2! Thanks for joining the party, and an endless thanks to the amazing team and crew who helped bring it all to life!”
In With Love, Meghan Season 1 Meghan headed to the kitchen—and garden and beehive—with guests ranging from chef Roy Choi to Mindy Kaling. It’s also the fifth project she and Harry have debuted with Netflix since signing a five-year deal in 2020. It follows Harry & Meghan (2022), Live to Lead (2022), Heart of Invictus (2023), and Polo (2024).
